PIA18678: Simple Shapes
 Target Name:  Mercury
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  MESSENGER
 Spacecraft:  MESSENGER
 Instrument:  MLA
 Product Size:  723 x 571 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  Johns Hopkins University/APL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA18678.tif (1.239 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA18678.jpg (36.26 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Today's image features a small, simple impact crater on Mercury's northern plains. The superimposed track is a set of altimetry measurements by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) that resolves the bowl-shaped morphology characteristic of simple craters. This morphology is evident in the topographic profile on the right of this image that displays how the crater's depth changes from point A to point B.

Instrument: Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA)
MLA Track: MLASCIRDRAPLFN1112211457
Crater's Center Latitude: 78.1°
Crater's Center Longitude: 327.5° E
Scale: The crater has a diameter of 4.53 km (2.81 miles)

The MESSENGER spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet Mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the Solar System's innermost planet. During the first two years of orbital operations, MESSENGER acquired over 150,000 images and extensive other data sets. MESSENGER is capable of continuing orbital operations until early 2015.

For information regarding the use of images, see the MESSENGER image use policy.

Image Credit:
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

Image Addition Date:
2014-08-15